sheloshim means A period of thirty days after the burial of a deceased person, during which a mourner is forbidden to do certain things, such as marrying or shaving. It carries an Arena rating of 1500, earned across 8 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, sheloshim ranks #657 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #1,180 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #1,532 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #4,199 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words.
sheloshim is pronounced /ʃ(ə)lɒˈʃɪm/.
Why “sheloshim” is a great word
The thirty-day period of mourning in Judaism that follows the initial, intense week of shiva, constituting a gradual return to daily life under continued restriction. From the Hebrew שְׁלוֹשִׁים (shloshím, “thirty”). Unlike shiva, the seven days of raw, housebound grief, or aveilut, the overarching, year-long state of loss, sheloshim is the structured transition—the bridge between paralysis and the world. It is the mourner rising from the floor but not yet attending celebrations, the mirror remaining covered while the door is opened, and the sound of a learning voice returning to a quiet house. It is the formal architecture grief builds for itself when the first walls of shock have fallen.
Etymology
From the Hebrew שְׁלוֹשִׁים (shloshím, “thirty”).
noun
- A period of thirty days after the burial of a deceased person, during which a mourner is forbidden to do certain things, such as marrying or shaving.e.g.“S'fardim commonly dedicate the [grave]stone at the end of sh'loshim” — 2001, David L. Lieber, Jules Harlow, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, page 214:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- shovavim 57% match — A period of six to eight weeks every year in which, according to some kabbalists, one should focus on repentance for sins, particularly sexual sins. vs sheloshim →
- shomeret 54% match — A female who watches over the body of a deceased person in the ritual of shemira. vs sheloshim →
- halitzah 53% match — A rite by which a widow absolves herself of the duty of levirate marriage. It involves making a declaration, removing a shoe, and spitting on the floor. vs sheloshim →
- avelut 52% match — Mourning. vs sheloshim →
- yahrzeit 52% match — The anniversary of a person's death, usually a parent's, often marked by the lighting of a memorial candle and other rituals. vs sheloshim →
- omer 51% match — A former small Hebrew unit of dry volume equal to about 2.3 L or 2.1 quarts. vs sheloshim →
- chautha 50% match — A day of mourning and prayers for the dead, the fourth day after the funeral. vs sheloshim →
- molad 50% match — On the Hebrew Calendar, the time at which a new month begins. vs sheloshim →